Crossopriza malegaon, Huber, 2022

Huber, Bernhard A., 2022, Revisions of Holocnemus and Crossopriza: the spotted-leg clade of Smeringopinae (Araneae, Pholcidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 795 (1), pp. 1-241 : 172-175

Crossopriza malegaon sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:964FF86C-7766-4DF0-9187-83D8CA7D0FAD

Figs 353A , 681–697

Diagnosis

Distinguished from known congeners by details of male palp ( Figs 684–689 ; procursus tip with flat triangular ventral sclerite and simple dorsal elements; distal bulbal sclerite with prolateral sclerotized fold and weakly sclerotized ventral process), by armature of male chelicerae ( Figs 690–691 ; one pair of small apophyses close to median line), and by female genitalia ( Figs 692–697 ; epigynal plate strongly protruding, laterally whitish, median brown band widening anteriorly; pair of pockets close to median line; large roundish pore plates; ventral arc with elongated median modification).

Etymology

The species name refers to the type locality; noun in apposition.

Type material

Holotype INDIA – Maharashtra • ♂; 17 mi NE of Malegaon ; 20.65° N, 74.65° E; 400 m a.s.l.; 15 Jan. 1962; E.S. Ross and D.Q. Cavagnaro leg.; CAS.

Other material examined

INDIA – Maharashtra • 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; CAS (together with holotype)

Description

Male (holotype) MEASUREMENTS. Total length 3.0, carapace width 1.25. Distance PME–PME 70 µm; diameter PME 80 × 95 µm; distance PME–ALE 30 µm; diameter AME 70 µm; distance AME–AME 30 µm. Leg 1: 24.1

(7.1 + 0.5 + 6.5 + 8.6 + 1.4), tibia 2: 4.5, tibia 3: 3.4, tibia 4: 3.8; tibia 1 L/d: 54; femora 1–4 diameters: 0.19, 0.17, 0.15, 0.15.

COLOR (in ethanol). Carapace pale ochre-yellow, medially light brown; sternum light brown with dark brown radial marks; legs pale ochre-yellow, without darker rings, with small black marks (mostly round to oval) on femora and tibiae, very few on metatarsi; abdomen pale ochre-gray, with small dark marks dorsally and laterally; ventrally with distinct black pattern, with three parallel longitudinal marks behind gonopore.

BODY. Habitus similar to C. tiwi sp. nov. (cf. Figs 393–394 ). Ocular area slightly raised. Deep thoracic pit and pair of furrows diverging from pit toward posterior margin. Clypeus unmodified, only rim more sclerotized than in female. Sternum wider than long (0.8/0.6), unmodified. Abdomen slightly elongated, dorso-posteriorly angular.

CHELICERAE. As in Figs 690–691 , with pair of small frontal apophyses close to median line and strongly converging, barely visible in lateral view, each provided with one large modified cone-shaped hair; distance between tips of modified hairs 50 µm; lateral stridulatory ridges clearly visible in dissecting microscope.

PALPS. As in Figs 681–683 ; coxa with rounded retrolateral hump with sclerotized ridge; trochanter barely modified (weakly projecting ventrally); femur distally widened, with very low rounded ventral protrusion, proximally with prolateral stridulatory pick, without retrolateral transversal line, without retrolateral proximal process; femur-patella joints shifted toward prolateral side; tibia-tarsus joints slightly shifted toward retrolateral side; tarsus without macrotrichia; procursus ( Figs 684–686 ) straight, long dorsal hairs not or barely curved, prolateral proximal hump with many hairs, procursus tip with strong ventral sclerite and further membranous and sclerotized elements; genital bulb ( Figs 687–689 ) with simple basal sclerite connected to distal (main) sclerite, sperm duct opening not seen, presumably prolaterally at basis of distal sclerite; distal sclerite without retrolateral ridge, with distinctive prolateral sclerotized fold and whitish ventral process.

LEGS. Femur 1 with single row of ~18 ventral spines; without curved hairs; with more than usual vertical hairs in one dorsal row each on tibiae 1 and 2; retrolateral trichobothrium of tibia 1 at 5%; prolateral trichobothrium absent on tibia 1, present on other leg tibiae; tarsal pseudosegments not seen.

Female

In general similar to male but without spines on legs; stridulatory files on chelicerae not seen; with stridulatory organ consisting of pair of weakly sclerotized but distinct processes posteriorly on carapace and pair of indistinct light brown plates anteriorly on abdomen. Tibia 1: 5.4. Epigynum as in Figs 694– 695 , main epigynal plate almost round, strongly protruding, laterally whitish, median brown band widening anteriorly, posteriorly heavily sclerotized with pair of distinct pockets close to median line, 20 µm apart; internal sclerotized arcs not visible in uncleared specimen; posterior plate short but wide. Internal genitalia ( Figs 692–693 , 696–697 ) with large roundish pore plates, dorsal and ventral arcs weak, ventral arc with median modification (elongated pocket, duct, or fold?) of unknown function.

Distribution

Known from type locality only, in India, Maharashtra ( Fig. 353A ).

Figures

Fig. 353. Known distribution of Crossopriza Simon, 1893; autochthonous species part 2 (cf. Fig. 352): species with main cheliceral apophyses in frontal position and epigynal pockets close together. The figure is split into two to avoid too much overlap; the split is not meant to reflect any natural grouping of species. The single record of C. maculipes from China is not shown (see text).

Figs 681–683. Crossopriza malegaon sp. nov.; holotype male from India, 17 mi NE of Malegaon (CAS); left palp, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

Figs 684–693. Crossopriza malegaon sp. nov.; holotype male, and female from India, 17 mi NE of Malegaon (CAS). 684–686. Left procursus, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. 687–689. Left genital bulb, prolateral, dorsal, and retrolateral views. 690–691. Male chelicerae, frontal and lateral views. 692–693. Cleared female genitalia, ventral and dorsal views. Abbreviation: vs = ventral sclerite. Scale bars = 0.3 mm.

Figs 694–697. Crossopriza malegaon sp. nov.; female from India, 17 mi NE of Malegaon (CAS). 694–695. Abdomen and epigynum, ventral views. 696–697. Female internal genitalia, ventral and dorsal views. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.

Figs 391–398. Crossopriza Simon, 1893, live specimens. 391–392. C. sahtan sp. nov., male and female from Oman, Wadi Ghul. 393–395. C. tiwi sp. nov., males and female with egg-sac from Oman, Wadi Tiwi. 396–398. C. dhofar sp. nov., male and female from Oman, Ain Razad, and female from Oman, Wadi Nahiz.